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First Vintage Pen Arrived!


JeannieCat

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post-137310-0-95421900-1497591750_thumb.jpgI am new to this forum and I just got my first vintage pen. It's a 4220 Mabie Todd Leverless Swan with flexible nib marked no.2 on it.

I have a few questions i'd be appreciated if anyone can help me out.

 

I got the pen from ebay, and it was described as black. The pen actually looks dark blue rather than black to me, could it be due to age? (i tried to wipe it with wet tissues, and some blue paint got left over on the tissue, im afraid i will wipe out the color so i stopped)

How should I clean the pen without making any damage on it?

 

And there are a few holes on the cap, are those made for any special purpose during manufacture or due to damage?

 

I knew the pen has already changed to a new ink sac, and made my research a little bit of how to refill the ink. Please correct me if I am wrong, it appears to me you need to twist the cap anti clockwise so it squeezes the old ink...then you place the nib in the ink for 10 secs to wait the sac suck up the ink before returning the cap to original position?
Is it better if I do this a few times with water so to clean the old ink in the sac?

 

 

 

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very nice pen, probably is dark blue but i suspect that the 'paint' you are wiping off is ink from inky fingers- you won't wipe out the colour but ink stains can be stubborn !

The cap holes are part of the design, to equalise the air pressure inside the cap so you don't get a splurge of ink when you take the cap off.

To fill I would immerse the whole nib in the ink twist the cap release, leave the nib in the ink for 10 secs and write- simple as that

enjoy!

Tony

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Yes, fill the pen with distilled water and flush it out repeatedly until the water runs clear before filling with different ink.

 

In your place, because there is a chance that there might be long-dried ink in the pen, I would fill the pen with distilled water and let it sit for a day, full of water, to give dried ink some time to dissolve before flushing it for the first time.

 

Also--just in case no one has mentioned this point to you yet--it's important to use a very light touch when you write, so as not to ruin the nib of your pen.

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Lovely pen! I remember when I fell down the rabbit hole of vintage pens! I never climbed out, I haven't bought a modern pen since!

 

when I receive a pen like this I first determine the material it is made of. Rubber and celluloid react differeny to water. I won't wash a hard rubber pen, but I might wash the barrel of a celluloid pen with a brush and some water and mild soap (of course, after taking the section with sac off). I then use 12,000 grit micromesh to take off scratches, if they are bad. If not, then a water based abrasive like MicroGloss will do the work of polishing up the pen. I migh also use simichrome to gently bring the gold plated furniture, and maybe even the nib, to a nice shine. Finally, I like filling the barrel imprint in with white china chalk so that it is more visible.

This process of cleaning, and sometimes even restoring, is what I enjoy most!

Anyway, enjoy your pen. It must be a delight to write with!

My Vintage Montblanc Website--> link

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Nice pen for a first vintage pen good choice.

 

Your pen looks good to go, I wouldnt worry too much about it.

 

Some excellent advice from Siamackz on doing things properly.

 

 

If you want to do something today without ordering the special stuff then you will not do any harm by using a domestic furniture polish, ideally with a high wax content, as opoosed to multipurpose polishes.

 

Best advice is to use it and enjoy the pen.

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Congrats on your first vintage!
(there's no going back from here)

I can stop any time.

-Me

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Can't quite see from the photo, is there a 'C' around the nib breather? In which case you have a calligraphic nib

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Thank you so much for all the comments you have kindly given above!

 

Once I started to look at vintage pens, the history behind them is very fascinating and a joy to know how the techniques developed from time to time...

 

I guess i will first try to clear out the old ink that came with the pen. It wrote perfectly on the first day of arrival, and no ink came out the next day.

 

I know im greedy but i am already seeking for another Eversharp Doric!!! (there's another so-called waterman pen arriving soon, but im not sure what it is)

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post-137310-0-33182600-1497945576_thumb.jpegCan't quite see from the photo, is there a 'C' around the nib breather? In which case you have a calligraphic nib

I tried to capture a closer look at the nib, it wrote 14Ct<< thats the C you mentioned right?

It did marked with "Calligrah" on the barrel too.

Edited by JeannieCat
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The Calligraph was a Swan model but didn’t necessarily have a calligraphy nib, generally they just had fine or medium nibs, yours looks to a regular medium.

 

They were made as lever or twist fillers, as is yours, which is activated by twisting the knob which activates the pressure bar.

 

You will need to investigate the issue on not writing. Are you confident that the sac is in good condition?

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Nice pen. I have the slightly older lever version (c1953, yours is maybe a couple of years younger). It's a nice fine italic semi-flex. This series was probably the company's swan song! Boom-boom! :D

Hi, I'm Mat


:)

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